Published: September 15, 2020
Publisher: Orbit Books
Series: The Age of Madness #2
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 512 (Hardcover)
My Rating: 4.25/5.0
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
War. Politics. Revolution.
The Age of Madness has arrived…
Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way.
For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye… before it kills her.
Unrest worms into every layer of society. The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply.
The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever.
HE’S GONE AND DONE IT AGAIN.
I loved this book too, and really, should I be surprised at this point? Nah, I really shouldn’t be.
While this wasn’t quite as gobsmackingly amazing as the first book (I am a sucker for first books) it was brilliant in so many ways. Characters rise and fall and take you by surprise when they do the unexpected but then… you’re just like “ayyy i see what u did there”.
Savine is still dealing with her traumatic experience at Valbeck (mostly through drug use) and she’s also pregnant which complicates her life quite a bit. Orso, now king, has his own new set of problems as well. The Open Council is full of rebellious morons and the Close Council is dangerous. The most dangerous of all is the magician Bayaz, though Orso hasn’t quite figured out why his father used to be so terrified of him. Leo dan Brock is just a bloody idiot to be honest. A handsome, honorable idiot who can be so easily led by the nose. Rikke must find a solution to contain the Long Eye otherwise she will be driver mad (or perhaps madder than she is). This is just a hint of what this book contains. To delve further into the details would spoil it terribly and you really need those moments where your jaw hits the floor.
I love the character development and I enjoy that the secondary characters are just as delightfully fleshed out and disturbed as the main characters. Vick, Gunnar Broad, and Clover are probably the best examples of well done characters that aren’t quite the main characters. They do have their own POV chapters and each is quite enjoyable for a multitude of reasons. The industrialized setting is fantastic – gloom, grime, and corporate greed abound. The rich crush those they employ and there are no (or few) labor laws that do anything at all for worker safety, rights, pay, etc. It stands out from the usual epic fantasy setting, though this semi-industrialized setting is becoming more common.
This is really quite the book and the thoughts I’ve laid down here don’t quite do it justice. I’m just glossing over things. It’s safe to say if you’ve enjoyed any of Joe Abercrombie’s other books, whether in the First Law world or otherwise, you’ll love The Trouble with Peace.
Powder & Page 
Amazing as it is, this is a difficult book to describe because – as you rightly pointed out – on that way lay massive spoilers. But it’s indeed another great offering by a very skilled author, and I can’t wait to see how he will wrap up the overall story…
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Yes, I loved this one too and like you said, the setting helps to give it a boost above the norm. We tend to have such a lot of pseudo-mediaeval settings as a general go to.
Lynn 😀
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